Everything about Food

Monday, October 20, 2008

Today I’ll share some food culture of Asian and Western.I’ve got this information from my friend Wai Yan who is the cook from Qatar, Doha. Thank you my friend.

There is different type of food culture - Asian culture and Western culture.

Asian food culture is base in myths - like Chinese. They have their myths in their food (for example, they eat fish for lucky). In their new years they donate foods to their passed away grandfathers and mothers.

But western is different. They are food culture is with means.

Western has two kind of main menu - A La Carte and Table' Dorse.

A La Carte means one by one orders and Table’ Dorse means set menu. A La Carte is more expensive and smarter than set menu. Food quality and service style are also better.

There are two kinds of set in Table’ Dorse – 5 course set and 4 course set.Set menu include Starter (Starter is appetizers - like small items), Soup, Main Course, Dessert and Beverage.

In Asia mostly menu is family style sharing menu. For example if we go to wedding they treat Chinese set menu. We can share at table with big potion.

In Western potato is necessary and we cannot leave potato. There are more than 1000 kinds of potato cooking methods. Moreover they chose the condition of cooking.Their five conditions areRareMedium RareMediumMedium WellWell-Done

Mostly Europeans like Medium and they don’t like Well-Done. In A La Carte you can choose condition but in Table set menu you cannot choose. Furthermore don’t forget that wine is one important thing in Western food culture.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

we have a lots of cooking methods...but.....do we recognize it?i am a cook....i don't know too much a bout food culture...but i want to post about food cooking....there are 11 main cooking methods... 1.Boiling.. 2.Blanching 3.Poaching 4.Streaming 5.Stewing 6.Braising 7.Roasting 8.Baking 9.Frying10.Grilling11.Microwave Cooking1.Boiling Boiling is a cooking of foods in a liquid,usually stock or water.The temperature at which boiled food is cooked at 212'F,is controlled by the temperature of boiling liquid and this temperature will not increase once boiling point is reached therefore simmering(gentle boiling)should be allowed to take place. the cooking temperature is lowered when boiling which makes the cooking process slower,because of this slower cooking,boiling is therefore suitable method for older,tougher joints of meat and poultry.Stocks ,soup,sauces,certain fish(whole and in cuts),various vegetables,eggs and pasta are cooked by boiling...2.Blanching Blanching is cooking of food in a boiling salted liquid for a short time.The Liquid may be boiling water or boiling Stock.......The red meats such mutton,lamb can be cooked produce white stew dishes.The green vegetables,after blanching with boiling salted water than drain and refresh,retains the water soluble vitamins and nutritional value,improve the color,flavour,texture and smell....Yellow color vegetables(root vegetables)are started in cold salted water with the exception of new potatoes,proper cooking can make the vegetables retain color,flavour and nutritive value.Avoid overcooking of vegetables because not only will they become soft and mushy but also lose flavor,color and nutritive value.3.Poaching Poaching is the cooking of foods slowly in the minimum amount of liquid.e.g.water,milk,stock,wine.The liquid should never be allowed to boil but should be kept at a temperature as near to boiling point as possible.Since the foods are cooked in a minimum amount of liquid in order to conserve flavor and nutritive value they should be covered with paper during the cooking process.In order to poach correctly anf to prevent the foods from boiling,it is a good practice to bring the liquid almost to the boil on the stovethen to complete the cooing in a moderately hot oven.......The tender meats.e.g.supreme of chicken,fillet of fish and whole fish,vegetables and eggs can cooked by this methods.....4.Steaming Steaming is a method of cooking in moist heat........i.Slower than boiling in its simplest form.The food is cooked in (a)a perforated container or (b) on a covered plate over a sauce pan of water.In this method the food is cooked by direct or indiret contact with the stream,that is,the vapour from water......ii.Boiling in a streamer with a minimum pressure 11/4kg/cm2(2lbs8ozper in2)or in a high compression streamer will cook the food faster.Most streamed food is lighter and more digestible than that cooked by any other methods therefore foods such as fish,chicken and sweetbrerads when steamed are suitble for invalids and for those with weak digestion.5.Stewing This is the slow method of cooking food in the smallest quantity of water,stock or sauce in which the food is always cut up (1"-1.5" in cubes)and cooked the food ans cooking liquid are server together .Lightly season the cubes of meat with salt and pepper and seal quickly in heated oil.margarine,butter,dippping to color lightly brown.Add stock to half,covered the meat and place on stove top.Bring to boil quickly and then simme.Stew foods can be cookied in a converse stew pan or casserole on the stove or in a moderate oven.Stewing is both economical and nutritional because the cheaper cuts of meat and poultry,whuch would be unsuitable for roasting and grilling,can be made tender and palatable and there is very little waste by evaporation.The meat Juicewhich escape from the meat during cooking is not lost but is present in the liquid which is served with stew...6.Braising This is a combination stewing and roasting in a pan with a tight fitting lid(braisiere,casserole or cocotte)The lid is essential so as to prevent evaporation and to enable the food reatin its own juices and nutritional value Braising is a long slow cooking method and therefore less tender joints meat and poultry can be used.It requires the food to be marintaed in red wine and herbs for a few hours before being cooking.Marinating helps to tenderizeto impart additional flavour and moisten the joint...Meats are cut into big cubes;shallow fry to seal quickly by browing on all sides.Place in braising pan,half covered with stock andd add mire-poix(Onion and Carrots cuts into cubes).Continue cooking in hot overor in a pan on the stove with tight fitting lid...The meat cooked with braising method is good in smell tenderness and well cooked helps retain maximum flavour and nutritive value.

i will post another methods in Cooking Methods (2)and i m sorry for my long post... Refer;HTTC Beiyoke Kandawgyi Palace Hotel..Food &Beverage Production Basic Course

NTU's canteens enjoy a wide popularity and a good fame especially among students which we may think it really deserve. True, most canteens in the university are rationally lay out and clean, staff are polite and considerate, food are cheap compared to those served in food court from outside and we can easily find something from our own countries to be delicious.

Will you believe me if I tell you having food in NTU canteen may be dangerous? For me, who have been cheerful for coming across with so many seductive lunch choices in Canteens, it is hard to believe.

Last week we, as usual, went to Cafe by the Quad to enjoy our dinner before having our Foundation course in SBS Building. As you know, that's a pretty nice Cafe with a pond and small fountains outside. The decoration has a white and blue tone, which coincide with the theme of the cafe :seafood.

I ordered my shrimps and couldn't move my eyes away from them: Lovely fresh nice little things. At the cash counter, I saw the drinks served. I ordered a glass of purple water. I didn't know what that sour sweet liquid was.

It was after having the dinner that I found a sentence writen on the paper cup of my drink: Rich in Vitamin C! God, haven't anyone tell the Cafe that most seafood can become poison when having together with Vitamin C?

I didn't feel good for the whole class though I knew it was just the realization that frightened me. I am a girl and I didn't eat too much. But I do remember the news came out in China that a man died because of taking Vitamin C and Seafood together regularly. And in film Deadly Delicious, Wu Zhenyu was almost killed by having the shrimps cooked by his wife and orange juice made by his secret lover within seven hours!

Therefore, friends, be ware of what you mix when you eat. And I do hope the responsibility of judging right food do not solely lies on the students themselves.

How to cook?Place the ginger in a small bowl with 1/3 cup of hot water and set aside until needed. Cook the pork with the curry paste and brown sugar in a large deep skillet, stirring to coat meat, for about 15 minutes, until pork is nicely browned. Meanwhile, mix the turmeric, and soy sauce into the water and add to the pork. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until meat is tender and sauce has thickened, about 45 minutes. Add the ginger (with its water), the shallots, garlic, and lime juice. Simmer for 5-7 more minutes, allowing the flavors to blend through. Check seasoning, adding more sugar, lime juice, or even a little salt, if necessary. Serve at once with steamed jasmine rice.

Mapo Toufu, which was first called Chen Mapo Toufu,is perhaps one of the most typical Chinese local dishes.Many years ago there was a small restaurant named Chen Xingshenf Eating HOuse close to the Wanfu Bridge in Chengdu.As the owner Mr.Chen FUchun died in his prime, the restaurant was run by his wife Mrs Chen who was nicknamed Chen Mapo due to her pockmarked face.In Chinese mapo means pock-marked granny. Spicy,hot,delicious and tender with a distinct flavor,the dish of toufu she cooked was called Mapo Toufu.

Mapo Toufu is a typical food of Sichuan province where people here like spicy food very much.Sichuan is a good place for touring, there are such beautiful places as Jiuzhaigou(p1),E mei mountain and so on. If you are intererested in spicy food, it is an irresistable choice!

Living in Singapore means that you can enjoy summer all the year. But sometimes I miss winter in North China. For I love snow and hot pot, both of which appear in winter.

HAVING a hotpot meal may be the simplest way to warm the body in cool winters. That’s the easiest way to explain its popularity.But the explanation may not sit well with hotpot lovers, as the answer simply ignores the most basic yet most important factor that makes the dish a seasonal favorite: the taste.After years of development, dozens of varieties of hotpot have evolved from the original pure-water hotpot. Now, there is seafood, mushroom, fish and even a chocolate hotpot. Hotpot tastes are therefore quite diversified, but the most popular still top the list.

Lamb hotpotThe original lamb hotpot that has come down from northern China usually uses pure water as the broth, with only onions and dried shrimp as the basic ingredients.The cooking method, similar to Cantonese cooking, is believed to be the best way to preserve the freshness and taste of lamb.

Chaozhou-style hotpotThe favorite hotpot for Cantonese people might be the Chaozhou-style hotpot. Two features of this hotpot are the pure beef broth and meatballs made of fresh beef.

Korean-style hotpotSpeaking of stimulation, a Korean-style hotpot that is gaining wider popularity is worth trying. Popular Korean hotpots are the kimchi hotpot and the pickled vegetables hotpot. Sour in taste, these hotpots can readily stimulate your appetite with dazzling ingredients and fresh taste.

Sichuan-style hotpotA popular hotpot that should not be overlooked is the Sichuan-style hotpot.The essence of Sichuan hotpot lies in the broth, which contains oil, wine, sugar, spice and Chinese prickly ash. It may not be a good idea to drink the broth of a Sichuan hotpot, but the numbing spicy food with a unique fragrance makes it one of a kind.